HCMC plans modern bus system

The municipal administration of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) plans to build a $152 million bus rapid transit (BRT) system that will link eastern and western parts of the city.

According to the Municipal Transport Department, the BRT project is a feasible solution to alleviating the city’s infamous traffic woes, and will be much more cost-effective than a metro system, ranging from $1 to $2 million per kilometre.

The BRT system is expected to include 30 modern buses that will travel a 25-kilometre route, which will take about 45 minutes to complete.

The International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will lend $142 million for infrastructure and the construction of ancillary projects, such as depots, parking lots and management systems, as well as underground and elevated roads for pedestrians.

The World Bank is set to fund the remaining $10 million, which will be used to establish the Public Transport Administration and conduct human resource training.

The project will include a green corridor, powered by solar energy and planted with trees.

Special benefits will be provided for low-income residents, who will be charged 5,000 Vietnamese dong ($0.24) per person and per trip in the first period of the project, running from 2016 to 2020.

The municipal administration of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) plans to build a $152 million bus rapid transit (BRT) system that will link eastern and western parts of the city.

According to the Municipal Transport Department, the BRT project is a feasible solution to alleviating the city’s infamous traffic woes, and will be much more cost-effective than a metro system, ranging from $1 to $2 million per kilometre.

The BRT system is expected to include 30 modern buses that will travel a 25-kilometre route, which will take about 45 minutes to complete.

The International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will lend $142 million for infrastructure and the construction of ancillary projects, such as depots, parking lots and management systems, as well as underground and elevated roads for pedestrians.

The World Bank is set to fund the remaining $10 million, which will be used to establish the Public Transport Administration and conduct human resource training.

The project will include a green corridor, powered by solar energy and planted with trees.

Special benefits will be provided for low-income residents, who will be charged 5,000 Vietnamese dong ($0.24) per person and per trip in the first period of the project, running from 2016 to 2020.